Tent



Abril 5, 1927.

D. T. ABERCROMBIE Filed Feb. 27.!1926 2 sheets-sheet 1 Ati 1 623,154 'April 5 1927 D. T. ABERCROMBIE TENT Filed Feb. 27. 192s sheets-sheet 2 MEN ron i 's l il @my /A www l I Cil Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES DAVID 'I'. ABERCROMBIE, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

` TENT.

Application filed February 27, 1926.

This invention has for its object to produce a collapsible tent frame of improved construction which shall be capable of being set up quickly, even within the tent cloth, shall be self-sustaining without the use of guy ropes, shall be rigid when set up and strong enough to resist all ordinary wind pressures, shall be capable of being collapsed or knocked down easily when desired, and shall be capable of being packed in small compass for convenience in transporta-tion. The frame has no center pole and no corner staiulards. It has at two sides only, members capable of sustaining vertical thrust and it has at two sides only, at the eaves, rigid horizontal members. It is shown in the drawings as applied to a 'tour-sided tent which is square on the ground but obviously7 is capable ot' application to tents of other iorms or types. 'It is preferably, although .not necessarily, employed for tents which have the ground cloth sewed in.

'The invention will be more fully eX- plained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated and in which: f

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a tent with the improved frame in place within the tent cloth, a portion of the front wall and top of the tent being removed so as to permit :trame members to be seen.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation as seen from the right hand in Figure 1, a portion of the side wall and top being removed to disclose frame members within.

Figure 3 is a top view of one halt ot the trame, the outline ot the tent cloth being indicated by broken lines.

Figure 4e is a detail View of a portion of the trame` showing particularly the top or head members in their relation to each other and to one of the side members, with the tension member also shown, the frame members being broken out and broken away to save space.

Figure 5 is a detail view ot the connection between the wall member and the roof member shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail view of one of the horizontals or eaves members, partly broken out to save space.

Figure 7 is a detail view ot one of the wall frames, alsobroken out to save space.

Figure 8 is a detail view on a larger scale et the connection between the spreading and the vertical member of the wall frame.

Serial No. 91,038.

Figure 9 is a detail view showing the foot or the vertical member of one of the Wall frames.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings the tent cloth is properly made up to 'form a tent square in ground plan, with walls ci inclined slightly from the vertical, with a pyramidal top a, a sewed in bottom a2, a door at a3 in one wall and a window opening a4 in the other wall. Suitable closures for the door` opening and the window opening may be provided and are not necessary to be shown.

Each of two and only two opposite side walls is provided with a sustaining frame which consists of a vertical member, preterably composed of two parts b and Z2 preferably jointed, as at b2, with a joint which is hinge-like or capable of being flexed and may be of the same construction as that shown in a copending application, Serial No. 75,528, iiled December 15, 1925, so that the frame shall be capable of being ilexed and sprung into position from within and two spreader arms c and 0, which are pivoted to a slide c2 arranged to be held in adjusted position on the vertical member b', as by a pin 03 in coaction with one 0r another of several holes b3 formed in the member Z2. Each member b may be provided its upper end withl a pin b4 to engage an eye or grommet in the tent cloth, as indicated at c* in Figure 1.

Root or top members Z and d', each prei'-V erably jointed as at (l2 with ahinge-like joint so that they shall be capable of being fieXed and sprung into position from within are preferably adapted for engagement with each other at the peak, as by a pin indicated at (Z3, and are also adapted for engagement at their lower ends with the corresponding vertical members b" of the wall frames. As shown. each root or top member d or d has secured thereto a bent metal plate or bracket Z4 which is slotted, as at d5, for engagement with the shank of a screw eye (Z6. The opposite screw eyes al@ also form convenient points of attachment for the tension member e. which may be a light cable or wire, which has at each end a hook e tor engagement with the corresponding screw eye d6. The root members, d, el and the tension member c thus form a truss for the support of the tent top, for which no other roof members are required.

As indicated hereinbefore, wall frames I),

Cil

o', c, c arev provided for tivo opposite Walls only. The spreader arms c, c spread the tent cloth in the planes of these Walls, the tension being adjusted by adjustment of the slide x2. The spreader arms support at their upper extremities, from one wall 'frame to the other, horizontal or eaves members 7"', f, which are preferably jointed, as at f', With a hinge-like joint so that they shall be capabl'e ot being li'exed and sprung into position from Within and are adapted in length, when extended, tothe length of the vtop of the tent wall', so that the tent cloth is th'us spread at the' top ot' the Wall, along thesev two sides, by the horizontal or eaves members f, and along the other tiro sides by the spreadery arms c, c ot the Wal-l trames.

As shoi'vn inv detail in Figure 9i, each' ver; tical member of each ttf-all trame is pret'- erably provided with a resilientfoot for the purpose ot maintaining the walls of the tent cloth under moderate' tension at all times and' to acconnnodate sl'njinl'rage. As shown, a socket o5 is mounted slid'a'bly at the lower end of the member and a spring b is interposed between the endy oit such member and the lower end of the socket. The socket rests upon the surlac'e ot the ground or upon the sewed in bottom ot' the tent and is not intended to be driven into the ground.

lt will be understood that the tent frame alone is incapable. of standing by itself, without the coaction of the tent cloth, which is pinned as usual to the surface of the ground or to the tent door upon which the tent i's placed.

In setting up the tent, the tent cloth is laid out and pinned to the ground or floor. Then the members of the irame are taken within the tent, extended and engaged one with another as already indicated, the tent top being raised and the side Walls put `under tension as the frame is assembled. rlhe work is done wholly 'from Within and no guy ropes are required on the outside, the tent and frame, when assembled, being entirely self-supporting. Although the longer trame members arelpreterably jointed, for convenience in packing the trame for transportation and also for convenience in erecting the tent, it Will be understood that such jointing of the frame members is not essential. It will also be understood that although some of the trame members are shown as provided with pins to engage eyes in the tent cloth, such engagement between the 'frame and the tent cloth is not essential as the frame members, when the tent is erected, are held by pressure in place `within thetent clot-h.

Although the tent has been shown and described lie-reinas provided with the sewcd in bottom or sod cloth with the vertical member of each Wall iframe resting on the sod cloth, i't is obvious that the tent may be made up with or without a sod cloth', as the manufacturer' or user may prefer and that the Vertical members ot the Wall' trames may also be arranged to rest on the ground or on the sod cloth or on the' edge of the' tent walls or some part thereof, as may be desired.

It will be understood also that various changes in details oi construction may be made to suit dilierent conditions o1" use and especially to suit different styles or types o'l tents and that the invention, therefore, is not restricted tothe particular construction shown and described herein except as pointed out in the accompanying claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A tent frame comprising opposite Wall frames including spreader arn'is, horizontal members' supported by the spreader arms ot the' Wall frames, and a truss-like top frame supported by the Wall frames, the separable top frame comprising top members engaged with the' Wall frames and With each other a't an angle to form a peak.

2. A tent frame comprising opposite Wall trames including spreader arms, horizontal members supported by the spreader arms ot the Wall trames, anda truss-like top trame stippo'rted by the Wall frames, the top trame comprising separable top members engaged with the Wall frames and With each other at an angle to form a peak, a. tension member, and means for connecting the tension meinber to brace the top trame members.

Y This specification signed this 26th day of February A. D. 1926. l l

DAVID T. ABERCRGMBIE. 

